Planterial receives Exist start-up grant

The start-up wants to develop sustainable building panels made from hemp. The company is now receiving 135,000 euros in funding for this.

Planterial from Kiel has been awarded the Exist start-up grant worth 135,000 euros, as announced by the Schleswig-Holstein Ministry of Education, Science and Culture. With the Exist start-up grant, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate supports young scientists in setting up a company.

The founders Mika Siponen, Hannes Stuhr and Claudius von Thaler want to produce pressboard from rapidly renewable raw materials, such as hemp shavings, which can be pressed together with a self-developed adhesive made from plant proteins. The boards are to be used for furniture construction, but also as a material for trade fair and interior fittings.

"Hemp wood and adhesive are biodegradable and can be recycled. This is our answer to dwindling forest stocks and rising CO2 emissions," says Siponen. Industrial hemp uses little water, requires no pesticides and has a good CO2 balance. The founders have already produced the first prototypes. Now the product is to be brought to market maturity and patented with the help of the start-up grant.